Post surgery update.

Kerry is two days post-surgery and is doing very well and healing beautifully.  No complaints aside from itching, which is to be expected as her eyes heal and I would imagine that having tiny sutures in your lash line would be pretty itchy, too.

Taken on day one.  Puffy and bruised.

We set up the table as craft central in an attempt to keep her occupied.  When she gets a little bored or antsy around the house she tends to resort to dancing around, taking silly prat-falls, cartwheeling, handstands...all things that she does not need to be doing for at least a week.  Wish me luck with that.

 

 









Kerry got loved on through the mail by some sweet family and friends and even got a nifty balloon and purple bunny from our friends next door.

 

 

 

Having a little snack while relaxing with a cold compress. 

 

Looking a little better by evening of day one. 

 

 Day two post surgery.  Mommy went in to work today and Mamaw did her best to keep her busy but low-key.  I'm sooo glad we didn't do this during the summer.  It's still chilly and blah here so it helps keep her from asking every 10 minutes if she can go outside. 

My tough little cookie has not complained of any pain but I still gave her some the prescribed Tylenol with codeine a little before bedtime just as a precaution.  I thought it would help make her sleepy, too.  Nope.  But I have to share a funny little song that she sang to LG that I'm pretty sure was "codeine inspired".  It went like this:

"I love you LG, bigger than the world
I'll never get rid of you, until you are dead.
I hope you never ge-et dead." 

Oh my.

Surgery.

 

Yesterday was surgery day for Kerry's entropion.  It became obvious that no matter how much she grew the problem was not going to fix itself and those lower lashes would end up thrashing her corneas until they caused permanent damage.  Mommy, needless to say, was not looking forward to handing my baby girl over to have her face carved on but I am a sensible person, too, and I know some things just have to be done.

 

  

 

Kerry was an absolute rock-star through the whole thing even though we had explained in just-turned-five-years-old-but-wise-wayyy-beyond-that terms what was going to happen.  She was cool as a cucumber while we got her checked in and while waiting in the room to go back for surgery.

 

Brave girl..just hanging out.  They weighed and measured her and she now weighs 42 pounds and is 42 inches tall.  That makes her 50th percentile for height and weight and means she's grown almost an inch and a half since this past summer.   

 



 

They gave her a little Versed before they wheeled her back and started the IV.



 

This was taken in the recovery area.  They came and got me right after she woke up.  By the time I got there the nurse said Kerry had been telling her about her birthday party.  She was still pretty groggy though as well as thirsty and hungry after having had no food or drink in over 14 hours.  They gave her a popsicle which she nearly inhaled.

 



 Those lower lashes are no longer laying on her eyes!

  

 

 

 

This girl is one tough little cookie.  And she's apparently one of the lucky ones that does not get nauseous after anesthesia...as soon as we left she was ready to head to the McDonald's across the street.  And then she sang most of the way home, although she did seem a bit hoarse from being intubated.

 

 

 

 



 

She's  been puffy and bruised since surgery but only complains of a little itching.  I gave her some of the Tylenol with codeine that they prescribed as a precaution and, I thought, to try to help her sleep last night.  Yeah right.  That was at 8:30..she still did not fall asleep til after 10:30. 

My girl had been playing in the back yard using a stick as a sword and making Mommy nervous so when we spotted this nifty foam sword at Meijer's we decided it would be a much better option.  Kerry has been having a blast running wild and ridding our back yard of "monsters" and "bad Pirates" =).

 

 

She really gets into her pretend play.  It's so much fun to watch.

 

 

 

That Pirate won't be coming back!

 

 

 

That one must have been hiding in the tree =).

 

 

After being cooped up inside all Winter, my girl has been thrilled to be able to get outside and run free on a few of the slightly warmer days we've had recently.  As for Mommy, I'm ready for a real warm up so I can get out in that yard and get it spruced up for Spring.  I am sooo not a Winter person.

Now that my baby girl is Five...and I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around that fact... I thought I'd do a little look back at Four.  Kerry has had lots of new experiences this past year.  She started gymnastics over the summer and has been loving it!  Seriously, she has never once complained about going, even when I know she's tired or has just not had the best day.  She seems to be well suited for it, too.  She can turn a mean cartwheel now and the instructor stopped me just last week to tell me that she thinks Kerry is doing really well and that she is "so strong for her size".  I love that almost every week as I'm buckling her in to her carseat she'll say "Mommy, gymnastics was fun!" 

She has spent each Thursday for the past year at her Mother's Day Out program.  She has really spread her wings and is so ready for Kindergarten.  Last Fall they had a little end of year commencement program since there were several of her classmates who were graduating. Mrs. Marilyn called me at work and explained that, since Kerry had learned all of the songs and was such an, um, enthusiastic performer would they mind if she joined them on stage.  I left work a bit earlier that day and luckily had my little purse sized camera with me so I could take some video.  Boy am I glad I didn't miss this.  Had I known earlier I would have dressed her in something more stage appropriate, though.  The loudest little voice you hear belongs to my girlie in her very first performance  =) !

Kerry lost a special little friend this year.  She still talks about "Miss Kitty" and how much she misses her.

 

But she gained another furry friend when this little guy showed up under our neighbors deck.   She named him LG...yes, as in the electronics brand.  We've since decided that it can also stand for Little Guy.  Since age two she has a mild fixation on this brand and when she was littler she would even insist on going through the electronics department when out shopping so she could point out all of the LG televisions on display.  Anyway, he was little, all alone, and Kerry said "Daddy, I love him."

 

 End of story.

 

In June Kerry enjoyed her first trip to DisneyWorld!  We went Nana, Papaw, Aunt Debbie and Uncle Travis, and cousins Sydnie and Kinsley.  Kerry had the best time meeting all of her favorite characters and swimming in the enormous pool area.  If we asked what her favorite ride was she would usually say "The bus!" or "The Monorail!", haha. 

 

The biggest developement this year is that at age 4 years 5 months, Kerry started reading on her own.  She spotted a set of "Berenstein Bears" books at Sams and when we got them home she surprised us by opening up one of them and reading it.  I think I just kinda looked at Doug and said "Alrighty then, I guess she can read now".   And she hasn't looked back.  

  

 

Sometime later in the Fall she seemed to have quite a physical growth spurt, all in the arms and legs and she just looks more "thinned out" and mature to me lately.    She's grown about two inches this year but hasn't really gained any weight. 

 

My little "Doc McStuffins" at Halloween.  Around this time is when we started noticing how much more mature she was starting to look! 

Four was an amazing year for Kerry.  It was a year of Super-Hero Kerry and "magical powers" and magic tricks and fantastic stories and imagination and Princesses and Pirates and gymnastics and writing sweet little notes for Mommy and Daddy and growing independence...oh boy, has she ever had her moments of stubborn independence.  But thankfully she's had just as many cuddly moments.  Four was such a sweet age and I'm mindful of the fact that it's the last year before she starts school.  Sigh.

 

So I'll end by sharing just a few little recent gems from my just-turned-five-big-years-old girl.

 

 

"I know what a frog is...an amphibian.  And if you can't say it you just call it a frog."

"How'd you know I needed that, Mommy?  You're just smart sometimes, like me."

While wrapping Penguin Puppet in a blanket:  "My little Sweet-Pea.  Sweet-Pea means, like, daughter."

"I like your style, Mommy!"

She's Five!

 

My baby girl turned Five on Thursday!  FIVE!  Oh how I wish I could slow time...just a bit.

 

 

 

We celebrated at home, today,  with family and just a couple of close friends. 

 

 

She wanted a "Purple" and "Rapunzel" party this year.

 

 



 

That's Uncle Dale under that clown make-up. 

 

 

 

 He thrilled the girls with loads of balloon animals.

 

 

After a while it was time for a little "pin the tail on the donkey". 

Kerry really, really wanted this game for her party.

By the time they'd finished this the girls were ready for cake and ice cream.  Kerry was absolutely thrilled with her Rapunzel cake.

 



And she requested a "number five" candle instead of five individual candles this year.



 One of Kerry's "babies" getting a little attention from my sweet and spunky niece Kinsley.

 



 

Kerry got some special gifts from her loved ones.  Don't ya just love the little crossed legs?

 

 



She was super excited about her new "Sofia the First" book.  She is obsessed with Sofia and sings all of the songs from the show all.day.long.  It's pretty darned cute.

 

 

 Happy Birthday sweet girl-o-mine.

 

 Tonight at bedtime Kerry said she was so happy to be five and the she was so happy with her party.  Then she made this Mama so happy when she said "but I'll never stop saying I'm gonna be your girl forever".